The Making Of A Compulsive Gambler
by dawningmoon1805
Summary: Left with only gambling as an option to pay off her sister's debts, she takes her step into it. As she goes from game to game, she begins to love it.


p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"I looked up at the den before me. Even as all the people here were taller than I am, wondering why was I here. It was an illegal gambling den in school, but I knew that this was my chance. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"I brought all my savings, knowing that it was better to do so than to bring some. If I had made up my mind to choose this, then I needed to look to the end. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Do you want to play with me?" He was an upperclassmen, set to graduate middle high soon enough. I gave a nice smile, knowing that I was new here. As much as he thought me a good chance, I was new and fresh, unlikely to know poker inside out./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A little rugged and not the most handsome. He was rather portly and being only pleasant to the eye woth nothing more. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And of course I remember what drove me to do this in the first place. My sister, if I told myself that I could come here, even when I was breaking the school rules. Because I had to, it was gambling or prostitution. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"My guardian had already decided to help me further, by suggesting that I go to him to the bar after school. I knew that once I entered it will be the end of me. Gambling or prostitution, both which were illegal, either bet my life to chance or ruin it. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And here is how it drove me here. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"It all started when my sister's eyes turned yellow You see, she was never really all that healthy in the first place. My parents often brought her in and out of the hospital as a child. Ingrained in me that my duty was to always take care of her. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"I knew from a young age that she was never all that healthy. And I accepted that. Thus, after the death of our parents I fussed over her, even when she was rather infuriated at me. Because I simply did not take her word as it was. And not something more sinister. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And my guardian will not take her to the hospital unless of course she fainted or worried the school teachers. Which was what happened. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, she learned that she had a disease. One which was severe, and her condition deteriorated that she needed to be warded instantly. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"He refused, even against the doctor's advice. I knew that he did not care for us, merely finding us bothersome. To him, whether she was breathing was not of much importanxs to him. With his own family to care for, hence we were merely an additional burden. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Even as all our money came from the trust fund he leeched. It was more than enough with considerable allowance for our sister's medical fees. The only reason why my parents effectively worked themselves to death. They must have knew the risks my sister faced, hence the precautions they took. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And it was too much for them. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Of course he did not until she began to cough blood. And he had to take her to the hospital in which I learnt her condition deteriorated. To a point that it was fatal and if he refused any further he could be charged in court. As well as the loopholes he exploited in their trust fund, given what the lawyers had told me. Even if they were skeptical what business a twelve year old had with them. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But only if my sister intended to pursue the matter. And in her condition that was all but possible. She could not wait any longer, she did not have years to wait until maturity. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And thus began the search for a job for me. Disregarding that I was underage, and taking into account my looks. He thought that being a prostitute was the best option I could do. With a stripper being a close second. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But I did manage to argue to allow me a chance to see whether I could gamble. Which lead me here. If not, then I will simply complain to the child services about him. He thought that I will not, but of course he did not know how to value a girl as desperate as I was. And thus, he gave me the chance to do it. A week, if I did not earn two hundred thousand yen before then, he will get me into a bar. Where I was seating with the man before me. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Knowing that my hand was decent, meant that all I needed to do was to try and see what he will pull. After all, poker is a game which centered around making your opponent fold rather than anything else. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"So, what should I do? /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"This was a first round, hence I should test the waters to see whether it was a good one. To see how he will play. Poker relied on how well you could bluff your opponent too. Thus I needed to see what he could do. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"I placed one chip. And he did the same too. Before we revealed our cards and I won. I gave a smile, but knew that this was just the beginning. Beginner's luck is what they will have called it. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But I knew that this was something I could not afford to lose. The next round opened with him being enthusiastic and betted three with each of them worth ten thousand yen each, which was obvious that he had a good hand. I folded then, knowing that it was pointless. My hand was bad. Even as I kept it with a smile. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The third, I saw that I had a good one. But should I do the same thing, it was foolish of me to really make him think that I had a good hand. It was pointless too. The trick of it was to make him act the way I wanted. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"And so I gave the same smile I did earlier on. Hoping that he realized I might have a bad hand. I wondered whether this was too obvious. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""After this game, will you be with me?" /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"I kept quiet. But since he did not read too much into it, it was good. It meant that I could continue this, I could try to be this innocent girl. I had to be. If I didn't kept up this facade, then I could lose. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"With it, I entered only two chips inside. And thus we showed our hands. He looked in surprise as I took the five. And I wondered how willing will he be to continue it. I was always willing. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"When I had the fifth hand, I saw it knowing that it was my chance. A full house. Something that was tough to get, hence it meant that he was unlikely too. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"In this situation, acting weak was the best too. And I tossed one inside and did not fold. Neither did he, which saw him losing another four. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"If anything this was how I entered gambling. Out of desperation, there was little thrill at first. Only a lot of fear, the understanding that this was a matter of life or death with it. And for me, it was only later that I will seek this thrill. Now, as a child whose future was stuck in the depths of sin I did not find it do. /p


End file.
